2 Arrested and Charged for Itamar Massacre
Shin Bet, IDF and police have arrested two Palestinians, both residents of the village of Awarta, in connection to the Fogel family massacre in Itamar in March.
The first suspect is Hakim Mazen Awad, 18, a high school student whose father was active in the Popular Front terror organization. Awad has a prison record. His uncle, who was killed in clashes with IDF forces in 2003, was involved in a June 2002 terror attack in Itamar, which left five dead.
The second suspect, Amjad Mahmad Awad, 19, also a student, is affiliated with the Popular Front.
The two suspects confessed to their involvement in the murders, and said that they sought to carry out a terror attack in order to kill Israelis. They expressed no regret over the murders.
The Shin Bet arrested the two subsequent to a strenuous investigation, which included the interrogation of multiple persons of interest in the case.
On April 5 and April 10, IDF forces arrested Amjad and Hakim. The investigation into the attack revealed that the two decided to carry out a terror attack and attempted to acquire weapons three days before the March 11 attack.
In order to obtain the weapons they turned to a Popular Front militant in their village, but he refused to acquiesce to their request. And yet, at midday on Friday March 11, they decided that they would go to Itamar that night, armed with knives and carry out the attack.
Masterminds of evil
At approximately 9:00 pm the two cut the settlement fence and entered its ground, masked. At first, they entered a neighboring house, found it empty, and stole an M-16 rifle, clips and a Kevlar vest. From there they moved onto the Fogel home.
Before entering the house the murderers noticed that there were children in the home. Undeterred, they still chose to proceed, killing two of the children immediately after breaking in. Parents Ehud and Ruth were murdered next. According to the investigation’s report, the two struggled with their attackers before succumbing to multiple shotgun wounds.
Before fleeing the scene, the two stole an additional gun from the Fogel home. When they had already left the house and saw a patrol car outside, they feared they would be captured. At that point, Amjad insisted on going back into the house and searching for additional weapons. Unfortunately, this was when the Fogel’s baby girl started crying. Fearing it would attract attention, the two murdered her, as well.
As for the two surviving children, the murderers said they hadn’t noticed them. Had they found the two, both said, they would not have hesitated to kill them, as well.
The Fogel family home after the attack
The heinous deed done, the two, who are not related, returned to their village on foot and appealed to Hakim’s uncle, Salah Awad, also a Popular Front militant, for assistance, giving him a detailed report of the attack they had carried out.
Salah Awad helped them conceal their weapons and bloodstained clothes, and later, he transferred the stolen weapons to a Ramallah resident, for hiding. The latter was arrested after the weapons were discovered in his possession.
Israeli security forces also arrested five of the two’s family members and friends in connection to the case.
Complex investigation, chilling reenactment
The Shin Bet noted that even though the murderers are affiliated with the Peoples Front, it appears that they acted of their own accord and were not following orders. The issue is still under investigation.
A senior Shin Bet official said that the massacre had the characteristics of a “lone-terrorist” attack and even though it was carried out by two people, it was difficult to receive any information in advance which could have prevented the attack.
A senior Shin Bet official said that the massacre had the characteristics of a ‘lone terrorist’ attack and even though it was carried out by two people, obtaining intelligence to thwart such attacks in extremely difficult.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the two offered a dispassionate account of the attack, and “a chilling reenactment.” Shin Bet officers described it as one of the most “shocking, cold, remorseless and detailed description,” they had ever come across.
Amjad noted that he went to Itamar to “die a martyr’s death”, which strengthened his willingness to carry out an act of terrorism. During their interrogation the two suspects made no distinction between the murder of the parents and the children, describing it simply as an act against five Jewish Israelis.
The village of Awarta, with 8,000 residents is known as a breeding ground for terror and has quite a few hostile elements. Nevertheless, following the massacre and the series of arrests carried out by the defense establishment, the residents renounced the massacre and even attempted to point the blame away from the village.
The Shin Bet said that in spite of the time that passed between the murder and the case’s resolution, it was a major achievement.
Following today’s discoveries, Ruth Fogel’s brother, Yochai Ben Yishai told Ynet: “We are very proud of the State and the security services. But on a personal level, there is no consolation, the pain remains sharp.”
Yishai added that “the capture of he murderers gives us a sense of satisfaction on a national level but we must get to a point where these people are deterred before they take action and not just apprehended after the murder.”
meir
public hanging after conviction
annie
What can one say?? Such evil must be eradicated. Good work on the part of the Israelis in finding these beasts of nature. But when will this horror stop??? Please Moshiach…HURRY UP in getting here!
Ruth the Truth
We must honor this family by never forgetting them. How will we do this? Please post things we can do to carry on their memory. I hope this becomes a forum for tov (good) not anger and revenge.
crazy people how can they do that?!
yemach shemom!!
wonder what will happen next
nothing gained unless they are killed.
no pity
I hope the Isrealie government won’t “trade” them. with that said, I hope they die a heinous death, I don’t care if they are stabbed in prison or hung/electrocuted/lethal ejection or firing squad, whichever brings them the most dread and fear and pain.
disguted
Israel has to publicly execute these 2 murderers on international television with the whole story, since it did not get world media attention at the time, due to the tsunami in japan
Notice to all Obama supporters
An eye for eye SLIT their throats
ari
Isral has to bring back the death penalty its not new it was implemented with aichman this is the only way to punish these monsters otherwise they will be out of prison within a year. After the next prisnor swap
It is scary how young they are
This proves how they are taught this violence and hatred as soon as they come out of the womb.
May we be zoiche to see Moshiach very soon so all of these evil monsters will be eradicated forever.
For How Long
The Israeli government will soon forget and let them go in a prisoner or similar exchange. We need Moshiach.
shcunah dude
wait! people wait! lets not forget that they havnt yet been tried and convicted. it may not have been them. let them have their day in court like you would expect for yourself no matter the crime you were accused of —- and then we will schedule the public hanging.
the severity of the crime doesnt make them more guilty — until they are proven as such!
Death Penalty
Nothing less. And bury them in pigskin.
should of been blurred out!
the pics should of been blurred out!!!!!!!
Roshaim should not be shown clearly on this blog!
#3
#3 #12 they admitted to the crime- and have no remorse at all.While u r sooo worried about them having justice, why dont you concentrate on the poor victims!As for a forum on good-you can live in fantasy polanna world but this brutal murder is PURE EVIL.So we cannot write ladeeda stories when everyone is fuming over what these thugs did!
hra
wheres richard goldstone for this one or does he only come when he is misaccusing his own brothers
:( this is so sad
no punishment is as severe as what they deserve!!
proud 2 b chabad
the banality of evil this could be anyone you might pass on the street. stand up and be counted for whatever you do ..err on the side of righteousness
Do good!
Why should the beautiful Fogel family have been killed for nothing? Let us all take the situation and act on it with a good Hachlata to elevate their neshamos. Is it possible that crownheights.info can make a little blog or article for everyone to post a good deed they are doing in memory of the family, HYD?!
moshiach now! a kosher un freilichen pesach
KILL THEM MURDER THEM GET RID OF DEVILS
AYIN TACHAS AYIN SLIT THEIR THROATS AND LET THEM BLEED THEIR WAY TO THEIR ROTTING IN HELL
MOSHIACH NOWNOWNWONWO!!
look at those eyes, how could such a living creature be soooooo……….!! AD MOSAI!!
the rebbe said
that our tznius has a direct impact on the safety of our israeli brothers. we are failing, and they are being killed. we must improve!! if not for our sake than at least for theirs!!!
ce
looking at their pictures is seeing EVIL, true, true EVIL.
oy veh.
Goldstone will get his, and what else can I say. Its so painful that I should just go out and do another mitzva with that pain…
oihhsh!
No words.crazy.evil!EVIL!
they shoukld be tortured!
cher
there was a patrol car outside when they left the house the first time so they went back in to gather additional weapons.
the thing that i don,t understand is that if there was a patrol car outside when they left the house why weren,t they caught then?
cher
iZZY
the real murderers are the left wing scum in Israel who pushed to allow these ARABS INTO iTAMAR FOR THE OLIVE HARVEST. WHILE INSIDE THEY WERE ABLE TO SURVEY THE TOWN AND PLAN THEIR ATROCITY. BUT THE CULPRITS ARE THE LEFT WING DEVILS. THEY MUST BE MADE TO PAY FOR CAUSING THIS HEINEOUS CRIME. iSRAEL MUST NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS.
iZZY
the real murderers are the left wing scum in Israel who pushed to allow these ARABS INTO iTAMAR FOR THE OLIVE HARVEST. WHILE INSIDE THEY WERE ABLE TO SURVEY THE TOWN AND PLAN THEIR ATROCITY. BUT THE CULPRITS ARE THE LEFT WING DEVILS. THEY MUST BE MADE TO PAY FOR CAUSING THIS HEINEOUS CRIME. iSRAEL MUST NOT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS.
TO #12
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING???? THEY ADMITTED! THATS ENOUGH FOR ME!!
MITZVOS NEEDED!!
what ever happens will happen what we should do is do our job we will learn torah and do mitzvos while isreal’s police will do there job and kill them
a person
you cursed nation (arabes) if you enjoy killing people kill your self and ur whole nation we woould be very happy .you could go to hell and suffer there .your a pure pig .